My work in the Elderd lab focused on how predators and pathogens interact to shape ecological and evolutionary dynamics. In particular, I studied how consuming infected prey affects predator fitness, and how these interactions feed back into disease transmission.
Predator–prey and pathogen interactions
My dissertation combined meta-analysis, experiments, and modeling to understand how predators respond to infected prey. Across systems, I found that predators often experience reduced fitness, including lower reproduction and shorter lifespans, when consuming infected hosts. In contrast, parasitoids tend to avoid infected prey, while many predators show little preference.
I used laboratory and field experiments to disentangle how predators influence disease dynamics. In lab studies, I tested predator preferences for infected versus healthy prey across a range of conditions. In field experiments using “bugs in bags” setups, I manipulated predator presence and pathogen exposure to measure how predators affect transmission rates. These experiments allowed me to separate consumptive and non-consumptive effects of predators on disease spread.
I also developed mathematical models to describe interactions among predators, prey, and pathogens. These models track population dynamics across multiple states—predators, uninfected prey, infected prey, and cadavers—and explore system stability and equilibrium behavior.
Other Research Endeavors
I also contributed to several related projects exploring disease dynamics and ecological interactions:
- With Matt Faldyn (Elderd Lab mate): Monarch butterfly life-table response experiment
- With Sama Shretsha (CU – Boulder Dukic Lab): Mathematical modeling of fall armyworm virus
- With Tom Coudron (USDA collaborator): Fitness effects of virus infected hosts on parasitoids
- With Ben Van Allen (Elderd Lab mate): Disease and cannibalism
- With Miguel Acevedo (Elderd Lab mate): The virulence tradeoff hypothesis
Eco Flick Lab 